Another Chapter
by allyrachelle
Summary: Ginny observed Harry closely. She could read him easier than she could read a book about the Holyhead Harpies. Something was bothering him, and she knew exactly what it was. It was always the same thing-- guilt. ADDITIONAL CHAPTER TO HBP!


"_**His hand closed automatically around the fake Horcrux, but in spite of everything, in spite of the dark and twisting path that he saw stretching ahead for himself, in spite of the final meeting with Voldemort he knew must come, whether in a month, in a year, or in ten, he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione."**_

_**-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince**_

_**Page 652, JK Rowling, 2005**_

_**My New Chapter:**_

Harry was sitting in the middle of an empty room. It was eerily quiet, as Harry looked around him in all directions. Everything was white, and everywhere he looked, he couldn't seem to find any sort of wall, or barrier. It was like he was in in the middle of an endless void-- or better yet-- like he has caught in the limbo of Apparation and Disapparation, but without the air-tight sensation.

Harry heard a high pitched squeak from behind him. He had no idea what this strange sound was, so he turned around to search for the source of the squeak. But when he turned around, it seemed as though whatever it was making the noise, was moving out of his line of sight. He knew that it had to be behind him, considering the extreme lack of hiding spots surrounding him.

Harry turned around quickly. It was then that he saw his cousin Dudley Dursley creaking along on his bicycle. This was a very strange sight for Harry to see, for Dudley was extremely overweight. Even in his slightly groggy and confused state of mind, Harry was sure that Dudley was putting too much strain on the old bike, and it would soon break under his weight.

"Dudley?" Harry called out softly, an strange sensation overcoming him.

But Dudley didn't answer. This intrigued Harry, because usually, Dudley took any chance he could get to insult him, not unlike Vernon, Harry's uncle and Dudley's father. Dudley hopped off of the bicycle with a soft, _creeeeeeak. _He turned on the spot as his body began to change shape.

Dudley was suddenly very hunched over, yet somewhat taller. His blonde hair had suddenly changed to a dark grey, while his face morphed into something more terrible and ugly than it was before. Dudley's face became gnarled and full of scars, cuts, and scratches. A large chunk of tough flesh was missing from his slightly large nose. His leg slowly shrunk up to his knee, and a wooden peg leg was put in its place.

Harry watched in dumb-struck horror as Dudley morphed. No, it could no longer be his spoiled cousin anymore, for his eye grew in size until it was roughly equivalent to a large coin. While his other eye was still normal, it became very dark. The larger eye was electric blue, and it swivelled in all directions, independent from the other eye.

Somehow-- but Harry's wasn't quite sure how-- Dudley had become Mad-Eye Moody in a matter of seconds.

"Mad-Eye?" Harry inquired incredulously, with his mouth slightly ajar.

"Close your mouth, boy," Mad-Eye growled. Harry snapped his jaw shut. He didn't want to test Mad-Eye, even in this strange place. He _was _mad after all. "Come with me, Potter."

Mad-Eye beckoned him closer, to follow him. Harry was about to come, considering he had nowhere else to go, but stopped mid-step.

"Wait!" Harry said. "If you are the _real_ Mad-Eye Moody, you would know the answer to this question! Where is the Headquarters?"

Mad-Eye opened his mouth to answer, but shut it again as the floor began to shake. He and Harry looked all around in every direction, wondering what was happening. Just then, Harry heard a distant and faint voice calling his name.

"Harry? Harry, are you okay?" the voice said. Harry was jolted from his dream at once.

"'S matter?" he said, scrubbing his hands over his eyes, consequently knocking his gasses off of his face.

"Well, Harry," Ginny said, picking up and handing him his glasses. "You had fallen asleep and started talking in your sleep."

Harry nodded and rubbed a knot on the back of his neck. He looked out of the window he was leaning up against. The Hogwarts Express was fighting its way through the pouring rain and lightning, determined to reach King's Cross. It felt as though the past few days had all been a blur, yet it felt like it had happened years ago. Harry has in a very confused and depressed state. He felt it was his fault that Dumbledore had died, and he felt just like he had when he lost Sirius. It felt like he had been struck in the head with a very powerful Stinging hex.

Ginny observed Harry closely. She could read him easier than she could read a book about the Holyhead Harpies. Something was bothering him, and she knew exactly what it was. It was always the same thing-- guilt.

"Harry," Ginny said. "You have to stop giving yourself a guilt trip! It isn't your fault!"

Harry covered his face with his hands and sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. They just sat there for a moment in silence, but Ginny couldn't take it anymore. She prised his hands from his face and held them tightly, making him look her in the eyes. Harry's eyes were glistening with moisture as he looked at her. He looked so pitiful sitting there, and when he spoke, his voice was rough and raspy.

"Please…" Harry said. "Just leave me alone! I have to deal with too much right now, Ginny!"

Ginny looked taken aback at these words. She shook her head in disappointment.

"Well," she said. "After all that has happened, I would have thought you would have learned by now."

"Learned _what _by now?"

"Learned that people actually care for you," Ginny said resolutely, with a sigh.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked imperiously. "I _do_ know that people care for me!"

Ginny looked at him. She looked at his hair, his glasses, his scar, his salient emerald eyes, but most importantly, she looked into his very soul. She could always tell what he was thinking and feeling-- it was like second-nature to her.

"What?" Harry inquired.

"Oh, you know exactly what, Harry James Potter." Ginny yelled. "You need to stop wallowing in self-pity! Stop being so selfish and pessimistic!"

Harry looked at her and blinked owlishly. She had never done this before; yelling at him like this. Harry was a bit taken aback at first, but then realized that she was right.

"Fine," Harry said calmly, albeit a bit reluctantly.

"What?" Ginny yelled, though innocuously.

"I said fine. You're right, Gin. I have been rather selfish lately. I suppose you lot haven't really been jumping for joy about the events that took place over the last few days," Harry admitted.

Ginny looked at him for a moment before she replied.

"Right. Well, er-- I'll just be going, then," Ginny stuttered as she exited the compartment.

Harry rolled his head side to side and sighed contentedly as he heard his neck pop several times. His head was buzzing pell-mell with everything that Ginny had just said. He _was _being a bit of an idiot, now that he thought about it. He wasn't the only one that was grieving at the moment.

Since Harry was now left alone in the train compartment, he had time to reflect upon his very strange dream. What was the point of it? He felt as though it was a sign to him of things to come, but he wasn't quite sure. Yet somehow, he knew it meant something. Perhaps it was a sign about the future… Maybe something was going to happen to Dudley or Mad-Eye…

This theory seemed mad and crazy, and if he said it aloud, Hermione was sure to practically bite his head off. He could hear her now. _Harry! You have to check this out in some books I have! It's definitely not a good thing! _Then Hermione and Ron would go insane trying to help him out, so he vowed to keep this to himself, otherwise everything would turn into complete pandemonium.

But then again, he thought. He was Harry Potter. When were things ever _not _crazy?

**Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will. Although, I do own this additional chapter to HBP! It was a literature assignment... :)**


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